


Things That Boyfriends Do

by tea_and_oranges



Category: Ballum, EastEnders (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 04:03:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21403891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tea_and_oranges/pseuds/tea_and_oranges
Summary: I was disappointed there was no follow on scene from last Friday's episode and this got in my head and wouldn't let me sleep, so I figured I might as well write it.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 8
Kudos: 141





	Things That Boyfriends Do

“It’s not funny!” Ben cried out in exasperation as Jay and Lola dissolved into another fit of giggles.

“I'm gonna lose him, ain’t I?” he said plaintively, his voice breaking slightly. “Just when I thought everything was perfect. Why does this always happen to me?”

Ben sniffed and buried his head in his hands. Jay and Lola stopped laughing and looked at each other with concern.

“Of course, you’re not gonna lose him,” Jay said.

Ben raised his head and stared at Jay in disbelief.

“Did you not hear a word I just said?! He wants to be a copper, Jay! I mean, why would he do that to me?”

“Maybe it ain’t about you.” Lola said pointedly.

Ben opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by the sound of knocking on the front door.

“I'll get it,” Jay said, rising to his feet. “So much for having the place to ourselves,” he added, rolling his eyes at Lola who shrugged helplessly.

Jay reappeared a few moments later with Callum standing behind him in the doorway. 

“We'll leave you to it,” Lola said quietly as Ben looked up at Callum then quickly averted his gaze again. 

Lola gave Ben’s shoulder a quick squeeze as she got to her feet. She smiled warmly at Callum before leaving the house with Jay, as Callum stepped into the living room.

“You alright?” he asked Ben. “Why did you leave like that?”

“Sorry,” Ben said quietly. “I just...I just needed a moment, y'know? Seeing Pam again and everything...”

Callum nodded and took a step closer to Ben.

“You sure that’s all it was?” he asked, stroking Ben’s cheek and lifting his face to look at him. “Only you seemed really happy until I said about joining the police.”

Ben lowered his eyes but remained silent.

“Look, if you’ve got a problem with it, you might as well tell me now.”

“What, so we can split up now rather than later?” Ben asked moodily.

“What?!” Callum stared at Ben in bewilderment. “Why would we split up?”

“You want to be a copper, I'm a Mitchell,” Ben told him, as if stating the obvious.

“So?”  


“So the two don’t mix, Callum. It's like...like the Jets and the Sharks.”

“What?” 

“West Side Story? Oh, never mind...” Ben tutted irritably as Callum stared at him blankly. “The point is, I can’t be a Mitchell and have a copper as my boyfriend.”

“Says who? The same Mitchell code that says you can’t be a Mitchell and be gay?” Callum asked pointedly, raising his eyebrow at Ben, who for once didn’t have a comeback.

“Look, Ben,” Callum continued. “I know you’re no angel. I bought a van off you once, remember?”

Ben smiled despite himself.

“Yeah, well, that was actually just an elaborate ploy to get you into bed.”

Callum rolled his eyes and shook his head affectionately at Ben.

“I know you and your family have history with the police. So does mine for that matter. But it’s not about our families, it’s about me.”

“And what about us?” Ben asked quietly. “I don’t want this to come between us.”

“Why would it? You’ve stopped with the dodgy motors, haven’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but...”

“But what?”

“Nothing,” Ben said quickly. “I just don’t understand why it has to be the police? I mean, you can be anything you want to be...”

“I know. You taught me that,” Callum smiled, sitting down on the sofa and reaching out to take Ben’s hand. “And this _is_ what I want to be. Or at least I want to try.”

“But why?”

“Like I said, I want to put myself out there, help people, make a difference.”

“But you already do that, at the parlour. Jay’s always saying how good you are with the clients.”

“I know, but...It’s not all sweet little old couples who’ve lived long and happy lives together. Sometimes it’s victims of crime, domestic violence, drug abuse... The other week there was a little boy, about Lexi's age, knocked down by some idiot off his face on god knows what. And when it’s cases like that I think, what if I could have done something to stop it? What if I could have protected those people, so they wouldn’t have ended up in the parlour in the first place?”

“Pam was wrong, you know,” Ben said, getting up off the chair and moving over to the sofa to sit down next to Callum and linking their fingers together. “_You've_ got the biggest heart of anyone she knows. And I’m the lucky one.”

“So, you get it then, why I want to this?” Callum asked tentatively.

“Well, it might take me a while to get used to the idea but yeah, I get it. And I can see it means a lot to you.” 

“I might not even get in anyway,” Callum said with a self-deprecating shrug. “I mean, I haven’t even applied yet and...”

“Sshh,” Ben planted a soft kiss on Callum’s lips, to silence both his boyfriend and the voice inside his own head that told him he was being disloyal by hoping that Callum was right, that nothing would come of this and it'd all be forgotten about before long.

“They'd be lucky to have you,” Ben said truthfully as they pulled apart from the kiss.

“Thank you.” 

“It’s okay. That’s what boyfriends do, innit? Support each other.” 

Callum smiled tenderly at Ben and cupped his face with his hand.

“Come ‘ere, gorgeous," Callum murmured, drawing Ben into a kiss, sliding his tongue between his lips as he felt Ben lean back into the sofa and pull Callum towards him.

“Speaking of things boyfriends do,” Ben said, his voice low and husky, as they pulled apart to breathe. “Is that a truncheon in your pocket?”

Callum laughed and rolled his eyes.

“Really? I should arrest you for crimes against comedy.”

Ben smirked and ran his tongue between his lips. He shifted on the sofa and placed his wrists side by side and held them out to Callum.

“Do you want me to come quietly, officer?” he winked at Callum.

Quick as a flash, Callum pushed Ben onto his back, grabbing his wrists and pinning him down on the sofa as Ben let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh, a moan and a squeal of delight.

“That'd be a first,” Callum grinned, bending his head to silence his boyfriend with a deep, hungry kiss.


End file.
